This invention relates to an installation apparatus for installing a wire harness over a fixed structural body (such for example as a vehicle body of an automobile) and a movable structural body (such as a slide seat or a slide door) movable relative to the vehicle body.
For example, an electrically-operated auxiliary equipment such as an electrically-operated slide mechanism is contained in a slide seat and a slide door of a vehicle such as an automobile. A wire harness is installed over a vehicle body and the slide seat or the slide door in order to supply electric power to such auxiliary equipment. FIG. 7 shows one known related installation apparatus for installing a wire harness over a vehicle body and a slide door (see, for example, JP-A-2005-59745).
As shown in FIG. 7, the installation apparatus 101 disclosed in Patent Literature 1 comprises a box-like case 103 (made of a synthetic resin) receiving the wire harness 102 folded back in a U-shape, and a movable member 104 supported on the case 103 so as to move in a direction of sliding movement of the slide seat. The case 103 includes a harness receiving portion 105 for receiving the wire harness 102, and a movable member movement portion 106 disposed adjacent to the harness receiving portion 105. The harness receiving portion 105 and the movable member movement portion 106 are separated from each other by a partition wall 107 formed on and projecting from a bottom wall of the case 103.
A slit 108 is formed in an upper wall of the movable member movement portion 106 of the case 103, and extends in the direction of sliding movement of the slide seat, and the movable member 104 passes through this slit 108. The movable member 104 is inserted into the case 103 through the slide 108, and its harness fixing portion 109 is received within the case 103. This harness fixing portion 109 is disposed beyond the partition wall 107, and therefore is disposed within the harness receiving portion 105, and this harness fixing portion 109 holds a distal end-side portion of the wire harness 102 extending from the folded-back portion thereof toward a distal end thereof.
The distal end-side portion of the wire harness 102 is held by the harness fixing portion 109 of the movable member 104, and is disposed along a harness installation portion 110 of the movable member 104, and is led out of the case 103. The wire harness 102 is connected to an auxiliary equipment of the slide seat and others through a connector 111 provided at the distal end of this wire harness 102. In accordance with the sliding movement of the slide seat, the movable member 104, holding the distal end-side portion of the wire harness 102, moves together with the slide seat while suitably deforming the wire harness 102 within the case 103.
In the above installation apparatus 101, the distal end-side portion of the wire harness 102, connected to the slide seat, is led out of the case 103 through the slide 108 formed in the upper wall of the movable member movement portion 106 of the case 103 disposed adjacent to the harness receiving portion 105. Namely, the case 103 need to include not only the portion for receiving the wire harness 102 but also the additional portion through which the wire harness 102 is led to the exterior. This leads to a possibility that the installation apparatus 101 is prevented from having a compact design.
Furthermore, in the installation apparatus 101, the slit 108 extends from the vicinity of a front end edge of the upper wall of the case 103 to the vicinity of a rear end edge thereof in the direction of sliding movement of the slide seat. Therefore, the upper wall of the case 103 is divided generally into two wall sections, and particularly with respect to the division wall section serving as the upper wall of the harness receiving portion 105, the distance from its one side edge (exposed to the slit 108) to the other side edge thereof (supported by a side wall of the case 103) is long. Therefore, it is feared that the strength of this upper wall portion is not sufficient to withstand a load applied from the upper side. And besides, it is feared that the upper wall, when deformed, contacts the wire harness received within the case 103, and damages this wire harness.
In order to overcome the insufficient strength of the upper wall of the case 103, the case 103 is, in some cases, made of iron instead of using a synthetic resin. In this case, it is feared that the weight of the installation apparatus 101 increases, and besides a coating or plating for anti-corrosion purposes need to be applied to the surface of the case 103, and costs are required for disposing of the coating and a plating solution for the purpose of environmental preservation.
Furthermore, in the box-like case 103, its upper wall is usually formed as a lid separately from its body portion, and this lid is fixed to the body portion by welding or fastening member. Much time and labor are required for this fixing operation, and besides it is feared that the weight of the installation apparatus 101 is increased by weights of flange portions and fastening members used for welding and fastening purposes.